​Simple amoeba can help fight Alzheimer's – research

Scientists have discovered a way to study the causes of Alzheimer's disease by using a simple single-celled amoeba which leads to a better understanding of how human proteins mutate. The new method circumvents the need for animal testing.

British scientists point to the possibility of amoeba use in
biomedical studies of the presenilin protein, which plays a part
in causing Alzheimer's disease - a form of dementia that is
widespread among the elderly. A press release about the study
conducted by researchers from the Royal Holloway University of
London and the Institute of Psychiatry of King’s College, London,
was published in the Journal of Cell Science on
Friday.

It reveals that the so-called 'social amoeba' has become an
essential source in the understanding of how human proteins
function and whose mutations are associated with the development
of dementia. It could lead to the creation of a new generation of
treatments for the incurable disease.

Professor Robin Williams, a scientist from Royal Holloway,
elaborates on the idea of using amoeba in medical research of
epilepsy, saying, “This discovery allows us to examine the
role for the human presenilin 1 protein, without the use of
animal testing. It is amazing that so simple an organism lends
itself to the study of such a complex disease."

Animals are commonly used in Alzheimer's research, but such
experiments are problematic due to their cost, the time they
take, potential protests from animal rights activists, and the
fact that animal cells become non-viable after deletion of the
proteins being studied.

Alzheimer’s disease is the
most common dementia type in people over 65. It develops when
nerve cells in the brain die or no longer function normally,
causing changes in one’s memory, behavior, and ability to think
clearly. It was first identified more than 100 years ago, but
the precise changes in the brain that trigger the development
of Alzheimer’s and the order in which they occur remain largely
unknown. Individuals progress from mild Alzheimer’s disease to
moderate and severe cases at different rates. The disease
eventually leads to death.

On the contrary, the social amoeba Dictyostelium - which occurs naturally in
forest litter in temperate regions - provides a cheap source for
research because it can be grown in a laboratory and used as a
single-celled body, or a formation of a fruiting body consisting
of around 50,000 cells. Both methods are needed in a range of
biomedical projects ranging from Alzheimer's to bipolar disorder
research.

Dr. Richard Killick, the article’s co-author from the Institute
of Psychiatry King’s College, said, “This work on the amoeba,
Dictyostelium, shows we can successfully use this simple model to
try to better understand the normal roles of other proteins and
genes involved in Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of
neurodegeneration."

The brain degeneration caused by mutations in presenilin proteins
only worsens with the aging process. Those mutations, thoroughly
analyzed by scientists over the past 30 years, can also cause
inherited forms of Alzheimer's disease, which, according to the
report, is the sixth-leading cause of death
in the USA.